Two DA MPs shown the door

[MickeyD]

Johannesburg - Two MPs have been kicked out of the Democratic Alliance following a meeting by the party's Federal Executive on Friday evening to discuss internal matters.

Dianne Kohler Barnard and Juanita Terblanche had their membership to the party terminated, national spokesperson Phumzile van Damme said.

Former shadow minister of police, Kohler Barnard's membership was terminated over a social media post she made praising former apartheid president PW Botha.

She shared a Facebook post from journalist Paul Kirk, which read: "Please come back PW Botha - you were far more honest than any of these [African National Congress] rogues, and you provided a far better service to the public".

In September, Kohler Barnard pleaded guilty to misconduct, bringing the party into disrepute and not abiding by the party’s social media policy. Kohler Barnard has since apologised for sharing the post.

The decision to terminate Terblance's membership was linked to the MP's misappropriation of party funds in the North West, which is her constituency, Van Damme said.

"It's a matter that has been on-going since 2010. There have been successive appeals and today (Friday) the decision was made by the Federal Executive to terminate her membership."

Both women had the option to appeal the decision, she said. It was not immediately clear whether they intended to.

The meeting began at 17:00 and ended around 21:00 on Friday.

Mpho Raborife, News24

Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Two-DA-MPs-shown-the-door-20151030

 

[samus]

Dianne Kohler Barnard's dismissal is sparking strong debate.

But if Juanita Terblanche did indeed abuse party funds, then that is at least one sacking we should all be able to support. It's good that DA shows they punish corruption, unlike many other parties.

 

[Arthur]

Yikes. Excommunicated for a mild indiscretion and a bad joke. It's quite obvious she was trying to insult Zuma & Co by saying they're worse than PW. Badly expressed.

Worrying that the DA is so intolerant.

 

[AntiGanda]

Dianne Kohler Barnard's dismissal is sparking strong debate.

But if Juanita Terblanche did indeed abuse party funds, then that is at least one sacking we should all be able to support. It's good that DA shows they punish corruption, unlike many other parties.

In the past,, Zille made several Twitter gaffs, yet remained unscathed. I don't think she really even apologised or saw the error of her ways. Yet here we have a mistaken repost of something she didn't even say.

No, this is a power struggle or someone exerting their brand of leadership.

 

[AntiGanda]

Yikes. Excommunicated for a mild indiscretion and a bad joke. It's quite obvious she was trying to insult Zuma & Co by saying they're worse than PW. Badly expressed.

Worrying that the DA is so intolerant.

It's not intolerance. They are extremely tolerant and will cover up their MP's and Councilors like a cult. They are inconsistent, that's the problem.

 

[Arthur]

Huh? Not intolerant to expel a ranking member for a clumsy failed joke?

We obviously have different understandings of tolerance. I find it astonishing that you can't see it.

 

[samus]

Zille has never shared a post or tweet praising apartheid leaders. None of her twitter gaffes - not even the refugee one - is in the same league as this one.

 

[ponder]

Don't feed the troll, it's been going so well....

 

[Arthur]

What I find very disappointing is that the DA leadership is more concerned about perceptions than reality.

What Kohler Barnard actually thinks and believes apparently matters nothing. But a clumsy gaffe intended to insult the current regime? Why, that's beyond the pale, so off with her head! It's quite Jacobin.

The reality, it seems, is that the DA leadership is so hungry/greedy for power that they're prepared to sacrifice one of their own rather than appear to not utterly execrate the apartheid leaders.

And why is no-one pointing out that saying PeeWee is preferable to ZoomZooms doesn't rise to being praise for PW, the Nats, or apartheid?

It's hard to avoid the obvious conclusion: for the DA leadership, appearances and perceptions trump the truth.

This this displays a distinct lack of nerve and respect for the facts.

Shame on them. Phooey.

 

[ponder]

What I find very disappointing is that the DA leadership is more concerned about perceptions than reality.

Yes they are but if you look at the average voter you have to do this, they are not the sharpest tools in the shed unfortunately due to a lack of education. the da does not have the luxury of the anc where you can commit the gravest of offences & the simply be move to a diplomatic mission overseas. They have to hold themselves to a mch higher standard in the eyes of the general populous even though they can't see it fo what it is.

 

[AntiGanda]

What I find very disappointing is that the DA leadership is more concerned about perceptions than reality.

What Kohler Barnard actually thinks and believes apparently matters nothing. But a clumsy gaffe intended to insult the current regime? Why, that's beyond the pale, so off with her head! It's quite Jacobin.

The reality, it seems, is that the DA leadership is so hungry/greedy for power that they're prepared to sacrifice one of their own rather than appear to not utterly execrate the apartheid leaders.

And why is no-one pointing out that saying PeeWee is preferable to ZoomZooms doesn't rise to being praise for PW, the Nats, or apartheid?

It's hard to avoid the obvious conclusion: for the DA leadership, appearances and perceptions trump the truth.

This this displays a distinct lack of nerve and respect for the facts.

Shame on them. Phooey.

Well it fits their new profile if you think about it.

A new black leader and a new pro-black stance where anyone regarded as old era is outed.

That was their problem - not appealing to black people - which is what the attitude from the student protesters also highlighted.

+ The electorate simply would not understand that DKB did not say those things in the repost.

 

[Jola]

I can understand why they had to expel DKB (for the public perception), however it still does not sit well with me.

Will have to sit down and consider my stance about this.

 

[Vrotappel]

This gesture will lose and gain them a few votes. Malema's 'kill the whites' will gain him half a million. DA needs to get out of the boardroom and on the ground.

 

[onlyme]

What I find very disappointing is that the DA leadership is more concerned about perceptions than reality.

What Kohler Barnard actually thinks and believes apparently matters nothing. But a clumsy gaffe intended to insult the current regime? Why, that's beyond the pale, so off with her head! It's quite Jacobin.

The reality, it seems, is that the DA leadership is so hungry/greedy for power that they're prepared to sacrifice one of their own rather than appear to not utterly execrate the apartheid leaders.

And why is no-one pointing out that saying PeeWee is preferable to ZoomZooms doesn't rise to being praise for PW, the Nats, or apartheid?

It's hard to avoid the obvious conclusion: for the DA leadership, appearances and perceptions trump the truth.

This this displays a distinct lack of nerve and respect for the facts.

Shame on them. Phooey.

Really? It has not dawned on you yet that Politics is ALL about perception?

If the DA is perceived, due to the post Barnard shared, to be supportive of apartheid and the regime of PW Botha, then the truth does not matter. If they are perceived to support the view that she shared (whether she really agrees with that view or not) by not taking strong action then the DA loses support, simple as that.

 

[marine1]

This makes the DA look much better than the ANC.
When have the ANC ever done anything remotely honourable like this?

 

[AntiGanda]

This makes the DA look much better than the ANC.
When have the ANC ever done anything remotely honourable like this?

Honourable is not the word. PR and PC maybe.

 

[marine1]

Honourable is not the word. PR and PC maybe.

Whatever you want to call it the ANC have never done such a thing since being in power

 

[DreamKing]

This gesture will lose and gain them a few votes. Malema's 'kill the whites' will gain him half a million. DA needs to get out of the boardroom and on the ground.

da should do the same?

 

[cr@zydude]

Zille has never shared a post or tweet praising apartheid leaders. None of her twitter gaffes - not even the refugee one - is in the same league as this one.

I think that Zille claiming that atheists are more likely to be murders than religious people may have been worse.

Fraud should be punished with expulsion, sad that it took 5 years to happen.

I'm not sure if I'm happy with DKB being kicked out.

 

[bekdik]

Yikes. Excommunicated for a mild indiscretion and a bad joke. It's quite obvious she was trying to insult Zuma & Co by saying they're worse than PW. Badly expressed.

Worrying that the DA is so intolerant.

Agreed. Either we are not being given the whole story, or the party is being mismanaged for political gain; just like the ANC and EFF.